Container with valve filled with a fluid under pressure

ABSTRACT

A container filled with a pressurized fluid and closed by a valve, said valve being formed mainly by two pieces, one rigid piece being in the form of a cup embedded inside an aperture of the container above the other piece formed of elastomer material, which, on the one hand, forms a fluid-tight assembly joint by a peripheral portion pressed between rigid cup and the edge of said aperture, and, on the other hand, forms with a central portion a valve flap applied against an annular portion of the rigid piece; said other piece of elastomer material being between the two said portions traversed by at least one porthole for fluid passage; said pieces resting upon the outer wall of container by peripheral superposed flanges, and wherein the flange of the elastomer piece overlaps the outer wall of the container beyond the periphery of the flange of the rigid piece to form around it an annular fluid-tight joint, suitably centered with respect to a tubular filling mouthpiece adapted to be pressed axially against the container.

United States Patent 1 Remane Dec.4,1973

[76] Inventor: Peter Remane, 12 Avenue Joubert,

Sainte-Colombe-Les-Vienne, Rhone, France 22 Filed: Jan. 4, 1972 21App1.No.: 215,306

Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No.886,242, Dec. 18,

[52] U.S. Cl. 222/394, 222/402.1 [51] Int. Cl B65d 83/00 [58] Field ofSearch 222/394, 402.1402.25, 222/545, 567

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 289,447 12/1883 Rich...-.222/394 2,681,752 6/1954 Jarrett et al. 222/402. 13

2,735,566 2/ 1956 Bramming 222/545 X 2,772,819 12/1956 Poarch et a1...ZZZ/402.11 3,100,487 8/1963 Bathish 222/567 X 3,108,590 10/1965Gorman..... 222/394 X 3,214,063 10/1965 Wallis 222/394 X 3,333,7448/1967 Nilsen et 31.... 222/40213 3,549,050 12/ 1970 Bruce et a1.222/402.22 X

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 798,684 7/1958 Great Britain 222/402.l6

899,170 6/1962 Great Britain 222/402.l3

Primary Examiner-Samuel F. Coleman Attorney-Alexander & Dowell [57ABSTRACT A container filled with a pressurized fluid and closed by avalve, said valve being formed mainly by two pieces, one'rigid piecebeing in the form of a cup embedded inside an aperture of the containerabove the other piece formed of elastomer material, which, on the onehand, forms a fluid-tight assembly joint by a peripheral portion pressedbetween rigid cup and the edge of said aperture, and, on the other hand,forms with a central portion a valve flap applied against an annularportion of the rigid piece; said other piece of elastomer material beingbetween the two said portions traversed by at least one porthole forfluid pas sage; said pieces resting upon the outer wall of container byperipheral superposed flanges, and wherein the flange of the elastomerpiece overlaps the outer wall of the container beyond the periphery ofthe flange of the rigid piece to form around it an annular fluid-tightjoint, suitably centered with respect to a tubular filling mouthpieceadapted to be pressed axially against the container.

10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures CONTAINER WITH VALVE FILLED WITI-I FLUIDUNDER PRESSURE The present patent application which is acontinuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 886,242 filedon Dec. 18, 1969, is concerned with a method of manufacturing containersfilled with a fluid under pressure and provided with a valve for fluiddischarge, with containers obtained this way and machines formanufacturing them.

The method according to the invention has as its object themanufacture,at particularly low production cost, not of an empty container, but of acontainer already filled with a fluid under pressure and conse' quentlyready for sale, especially in the form of an exchangeable low costdisposable cartridge.

Up to the present time, when one wished to produce a container filledwith a fluid under pressure and provided with a discharge valve, it wasnecessary first to assemble the valve and fix it to the container wallor to a part of it prior to the filling operation. That meant that theassembly of valve elements themselves and then to a container wall onthe one hand, and the filling of the latter, on the other hand,constituted two'separate operations performed on separate machines, and,in principle, by different people.

The object of the invention is to combine the two operations into one,performed on one and the same machine, thus eliminating one of themachines, the people necessary for its operation and maintenance, andsaving a great deal of time necessary for package manufacturing and thefilling operation.

According to another object of the invention, without additional costfor every new filling, a new connecting joint is used, which is atnormal room temperature, and'thus always having all the desirablequalities with regard to its shape, elasticity and flexiblity betweenthe filling socket and container, and which, in addition, entirelyavoids tying up the filling machine for the purpose of replacing thefilling joints.

The container manufacturer should, in addition, for obvious safetyreasons and also for establishing the lowest profitable sale price, tryto prevent in advance a further re-filling of a once emptied containerby a third party.

An important object of the invention consists of foiling any attempt,for example by a third party, of further reasonable re-filling underhigh pressure through the valve discharge conduit, by a particulararrangement of valve elements.

Another object of the invention consists of designing the valve elementsin such a way that they can be manufactured without the high cost ofprecision machining, adjustment, or fitting, so that after mounting thevalve its output is limited to a small amount, just sufiicient fordischarge purposes, but quite insufficient for allowing an economicre-filling of a once emptied container by performing this re-fillingfrom the outside through the valve.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obviousand in part specifically referred to in the description hereinaftercontained, which taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawingsdiscloses a preferred form of a pressurized container comprising a valvedevice constructed to operate in accordance with the invention, afilling machine constructed to operate in accordance with the invention,a filling machine constructed to operate in accordance with the fillingmethod according to the invention; the disclosure, however, should beconsidered as merely illustrative of the principles of the invention inits broader aspects.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows, in axial section view through its discharge valve, aportion of a container constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is partially a vertical and partially a crosssection view of anelement forming the valve portion shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a portion of the element shown in FIG. 2 cut along III-III(FIG. 4);

FIG. 4 is a section view along IV-IV (FIG. 1);

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an axial section view in two successive operationphases, of the characteristic elements according to the invention, of amachine arranged particularly to operate in accordance with the methodaccording to the invention for the purpose of manufacturing and fillingcontainers, such as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows an axial section view of a container portion shown in FIG.1, assumed to contain the pressurized liquefied gas butane and used as aspare container on a lighting, heating or cooking apparatus,particularly for camping, with only portion of its fitting shown.

The co-pending patent application 886,242, filed on Dec. 18, 1969,describes a container 1 with a valve consisting specifically of twopieces 2 and 3, having approximately the shape of cups imbedded in thecontainer aperture 1c.

Cup 2 is made of an elastomer material while cup 3 is of rigid material,in particular of metal. Both cups rest against the outside surface ofthe container through superposed peripheral flanges 2a and 3a,respectively. Both cups are secured to the container by an expansion at3d of cup 3 which is expanded at its periphery under the edge ofaperture 10 of the container. Thus, cup 2 constitutes, on the one hand,a sealing joint of the valve in the container, and on the other hand, amobile flap of a valve by a central portion 2c applied against anannular portion 3f forming the seat at the entry of a central boss 3f ofthe rigid cup 3. Cup 2, between its central portion 2c and itsperipheral portion, compressed between the rigid cup 3 and the edge ofaperture 1c, is crossed by at least one porthole 2j through which thepressurized fluid in container 1 can flow from it into boss 30 when flap2c is pushed into container.

The container 1, filled for example with a pressurized combustibleliquified gas such as butane gas, can serve as a spare container on anappliance such as, for example, the one described in U.S. Pat. No.2,853,126, filed on July 13, 1956. After putting the spare container onsuch apparatus, its discharge fitting rests on the valve peripherythrough an annular joint 5 (FIG. 7) in order to ensure a tightconnection, and punctures sealing lid 3c by an axial flat sharp-pointedneedle 7, and at the end of a stroke, drives flap 2c slightly intocontainer 1 to establish a connection with its interior.

The invention aims first at a method for manufacturing a container andproviding it with a valve, 2 and 3, for sampling and for filling it witha fluid under pressure, which may be a gas propulsion aerosol or a gaswhich can be used directly because of its appropriate properties(butane, propane, etc.).

This method seeks to substantially reduce production costs by combiningthe operations of container filling, of assembly of valve elements, andclosing, by the latter, of the container filling aperture.

For this purpose it is advisable, first, to arrange cup 2 in a suitablemanner by making the peripheral flange 2a extend beyond the periphery ofthat of 3a, pertaining to the rigid cup 3, and continuing to provide itwith a support on the containers external surface, so that it can formaround rigid piece 3 an annular sealing suitably centered for a tubularfilling fitting.

As far as the method is concerned, it consists of filling each containerwith a pressurized fluid through cup 2 made of elastomer material inwhich portholes 2j are disposed for this purpose, said cup 2 mountedbeforehand in aperture It: serves, by its peripheral flange 2a, as aconnecting fluid-tight joint with a tubular filling mouthpiece 20 (FIG.5), in which the rigid piece 3 remains until the end of the fillingoperation, then, during tightening of said mouthpiece against saidflange 2a (FIG. 6), is pushed away from the mouthpiece, then driven intopiece 2 of elastomer material, and expanded radially outward under thecontainer wall 1b in order to ensure, by one and the same operation, atight junction of two valve pieces and a wall of said container 1.

As far as the machine is concerned which serves, at the same time, forassembling the valve elements on the container and for filling the samewith a pressurized fluid, it is provided, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6,with a tubular mouthpiece 20, able to slide coaxially and tightly insidean outer axially displaceable sleeve 26. A tubular punch 22 containing aclosed crown formed by prongs 23 coming out by their tips 25 at the baseof punch 22, and which can be drawn apart by a central cone 24, canslide coaxially inside mouthpiece 20. A conduit 26a is disposed insleeve 26, which, in FIG. 5,

coincides with a hole 20a drilled radially in tubular mouthpiece 20.Moreover, for example on the diametrically opposite side, anotherconduit 26b is disposed in the tubular mouthpiece 26, which coincideswith hole 20b, when sleeve 26 is raised on mouthpiece 20 upward from aposition shown in FIG. 5 up to that shown in FIG. 6.

This machine is used as follows: First, cup 2 of elastomer material isset in aperture 1c of container 1, so that peripheral flange 2a comes torest on the outer face of this aperture edge. Moreover, rigid cup 3 isintroduced into filling mouthpiece 20 by forcing it on the prong tipsuntil its peripheral flange 3a sets against the frontal edge of thetubular punch 22. Thus, the prong tips 25 maintain cup 3 in thisposition by elastically pressing against the inner face of thecylindrical portion of this cup.

Then, the container 1 is set under filling mouthpiece 20 so that its cup2 is aligned on its sleeve axis and the mouthpiece is let down to applyits frontal edge 20a against cup flange 2a, by tightening it against theouter face of container 1. Thus one obtains a fluid-tight connectionbetween the mouthpiece 20 and container interiors, through portholes 2jof the elastomer cup, as shown in FIG. 5. Then, one lets the sleeve 26go down coaxially on mouthpiece 20 to let it play its role of fluidcontrol distributor and to let its conduit 26a pass in front of a hole20a to establish a connection between conduit 26a and mouthpiece 20, andconsequently with container 1 inside, as shown in FIG. 5.

Then the air is sucked from container 1 through the conduit 26a,dropping the container pressure to low values. Then one lowersdistributor sleeve 26 into its position shown in FIG. 6, resulting in aninterruption of the connection between conduit 26a and mouthpiece 20 bydisplacement of this conduit inlet in relation to hole 200, andestablishing a connection, on the opposite side, between conduit 26b andmouthpiece 20, through radial hole 20b in the latter. The pressurizedfluid, for example a liquefied pressurized butane gas, is allowed tocome through conduit 26b, which penetrates mouthpiece 20 through hole20b, and from there penetrates into container 1 through portholes 2] ofcup 2, forming a connecting joint. When container 1 is filled up, punch22 is lowered axially into mouthpiece 20 in order to let it push rigidcup 3 down to the bottom into cup 2 made of elastomer material, and cone24 is allowed to advance slightly beyond this position, inside the crownof prongs 23, which expand radially outward inside cup 3 producing in ita peripheral shoulder 3 d, which can, together with flange 3a, press cup3 tightly to the edge of aperture 10 in container 1 by means of theupper portion of elastomer cup 2. Then first cone 24 is raised todisengage the tips 25 of prongs 23, which are retrieved through theircommon ascent with punch 22 out of rigid cup 3 to their position shownin FIG. 5. Then distributor sleeve 26 is raised from its position shownin FIG. 6 up to that shown in FIG. 5 in order to remove by suction thepressurized fluid, accumulated during the filling operation, above rigidcup 3 and inside filling mouthpiece 20 through conduit 26a and hole 20a.Then sleeve 26 is raised onto mouthpiece 20 to close conduit 26a, anddisengages, by common ascent of mouthpiece 20 and sleeve 26, container 1from under the filling machine, which is then ready to fill up anothercontainer in the manner described above.

One will note, that for a machine constructed in accordance with theinvention, it is essential that the inner diameter of the tubularmouthpiece 20 be smaller than the outer diameter of peripheral flange 2aof elastomer cup 2 but larger than the overall diameter of rigid cup 30,i.e. larger than the outer diameter of flange 3a of said cup.

Moreover, it is advantageous to arrange cups 2 and 3, making up thevalve, so that one can make maximum use of the filling method inaccordance with the invention.

For this purpose it is advisable first to dispose on cup 2, on theouter, nearly cylindrical face directly below its retaining flange 2a, aperipheral groove 2e (FIG. 2), which is suitable for receiving edge 10(FIG. 1) of the container aperture, so that by forcing cup 2 into itprior to filling the container, this cup elastically interlocks in itlike a press button. Thus, a perfect setting of flange 2a convenientlycentered on the outer wall of the container is provided to serve as afilling joint.

Moreover, it is advisable to shape flange 2a of the elastomer cup sothat its lower face, resting on a flat portion of container 1, extendsinto a plane normal to the cup axis, while its upper free face convergesconically toward the axis and the bottom of cup 2. In addition, thefrontal face of filling mouthpiece 20 is provided with a complementaryprofile, such as that shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, allowing it to cap theouter upper edge of flange 2a on two fairly orthagonal faces, and thusto ensure, by compressing the flange in the axial direction which drivesthis flange radially outward, a

stoppage in this direction, which completes the tightness of thejunction and makes it more efficient, thus sparing flange 2a.

It is advisable, moreover, to arrange cups 2 and 3 so that they do notallow a new filling of the container, emptied previously, in accordancewith a classic method, which consists of achieving it, through aretaining valve from outside, by letting the pressurized fluid flow intothe container following an inverse path with respect to that used foremptying the container. For this purpose, cup 2 is provided with atleast one filling aperture 2j of large section at the place where it isconcealed and blocked by cup 3 when it is set in place inside cup 2 andoccupies the position shown in FIG. 6, and also with a passage whichstays continuously clear and whose smaller cross section is limited byrequirements for pressurized fluid delivery. This latter passage mayconsist of a hole disposed in portion 2p of the cup bounded by itscylindrical wall 2b.

However, according to the mode of operation particularly advantageousboth for manufacturing without additional cost as well as for accuracywithout adjustment of this passage, it is advisable to provide saidpassage with at least one projection to separate slightly thecylindrical wall of cup 26 from the corresponding cylindrical wall ofcup 3, between its bottom 3f and portholes 2j of cup 2. This projectionmay, of course, be disposed either on cup 2, as shown in the figure, oron cup 3.

In the mode of advantageous operation shown in the figure, theprojection is in the form of two ribs 2n, obtained by molding on theinner face of the cylindrical portion of cup 2, which extends betweenthe lower side of porthole 2j and bottom 2p of cup 2. Since the cup isperfectly withdrawable with ribs 2n, one can obtain the latter withgreat accuracy and consequently determine with accuracy the passagesection reserved for the by-pass between one filling porthole of largesection 2j and the cylindrical peripheral walls of cups 2 and 3, as canbe seen on the left side of FIG. 7. This by-pass passage permits thedischarge of the contents of container 1 with controlled output, whichwould be too low to allow an economic refilling of container 1 in theopposite direction through its valve.

In order to improve protection against refilling of a container by anon-authorized third party, a plurality of large-section filling holes2j, distributed over the periphery of cylindrical wall 2b of elastomercup 2, are advantageously provided, leaving only weak bridges and straps2k between these holes, which may break at the first attempt atrefilling with a flow rate exceeding significantly that provided fornormal delivery. Thus, one discourages refilling by a third party ofpreviously emptied disposable spare containers, by preventing thisfilling from being carried out at a flow rate sufficient to beprofitable.

I claim:

1. A container filled with a pressurized fluid and closed by a valve,said valve being formed mainly by two pieces, one rigid piece being inthe form of a cup embedded inside an aperture of the container above theother piece formed of elastomer material, which, on the one hand, formsa fluid-tight assembly joint by a peripheral portion pressed betweenrigid cup and the edge of said aperture, and, on the other hand, forms aseat with a central portion applied against an annular portion of therigid piece; a valve flap between the two said portions which istraversed by at least one porthole for fluid passage; said piecesresting upon the outer wall of container by peripheral superposedflanges, and wherein the flange of the elastomer piece overlaps theouter wall of the container beyond the periphery of the flange of therigid piece to form around it an annular fluid-tight joint, suitablycentered with respect to a tubular filling mouthpiece adapted to bepressed axially against the container.

2. In a container as set forth in claim l, the rigid piece forming thecup being retained by its nearlycylindrical lateral wall under the edgeof the opening of the container by an annular shoulder.

3. In a container as set forth in claim 1, the piece of elastomermaterial being in the form of a cup and containing in its lateral nearlycylindrical wall a groove for receiving the edge of the containeropening, whereby by forcing it into the latter, said piece willinterlock elastically in the opening in the manner of a press button.

4. In a container as set forth in claim 1, the rigid piece containing,limited by its annular bottom, a boss oriented upwardly and capping thevalve of the elastomer piece with a lid perforable during the firstopening operation of the valve, said boss and bottom forming the valveseat.

5. In a container as set forth in claim 1, the cylindrical wall ofelastomer piece having the form of a cup and containing at least onelarge section aperture for filling purposes, which may be concealed andblocked by setting the rigid piece in place, and having,moreover, apassage which remains clear continuously provided between the containerand the contact zone of the flap and seat, the smaller section of saidpassage being limited to a maximum flow rate sufficient for normalpressurized fluid delivery requirements.

6. In a container as set forth in claim 5, weak bridges or straps beingprovided as separations between a plurality of filling holes distributedover the periphery of the elastomer piece throughout its cylindricalwall, which may break at the first attempt at refilling a container witha flow rate exceeding that assigned as the limit for discharge.

7. In a container as set forth in claim 5, said passage remainingcontinuously clear and being formed as a bypass between the edge of afilling aperture and the bottom of elastomer cup by at least oneprojection provided on the inner face of said cup by molding.

8. In a container as set forth in claim 5, said passage remainingcontinuously clear, and being formed as a by-pass between the edge of afilling aperture and the bottom of the elastomer cup by at least oneprojection disposed on the outer cylindrical face of rigid cup.

9. In a container as set forth in claim I, wherein at least one portionof the elastomer cup flange extends peripherally beyond thecorresponding flange of the rigid cup, on the outer face of container,and thickens progressively from the axis of the piece toward theperiphery.

10. A container for pressurized fluid having an aperture closed by avalve device mounted thereon and comprising a first substantiallycup-shaped member made of a rigid material and a second member made of aresilient elastomeric material which has at least one aperture for fluidpassage between a central valve flap and a peripheral sealing portion,said first and second memeber having corresponding flanges, so as to beinbottom of said first member and having a perforatable top sealing lidconnected with said bottom by a substantially tubular wall joined withsaid bottom by an intermediate annular surface serving as a seat for thevalve device said perforatable top sealing lid in this manner beingmaintained by said tubular i.e., rigid wall in spaced relation to top ofthe valve flap and to said annular seat surface.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF COECTEON December 4, 1973Patent No 427 Dated I Inventor-(s) ROGER REMANE It is certified thaterror appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading of the patent (first column) line 3, change the name ofthe inventor from "Peter Remane" to read "Roger Remane" Signed andsealed this 16th day of April 19713..

(SEAL) Atte st:

EDT/MED M.FLETGlER,Jl-l. C, MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 h u.s GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I9590-366-334 FORM PO-1050 (10-69)

1. A container filled with a pressurized fluid and closed by a valve,said valve being formed mainly by two pieces, one rigid piece being inthe form of a cup embedded inside an aperture of the container above theother piece formed of elastomer material, which, on the one hand, formsa fluid-tight assembly joint by a peripheral portion pressed betweenrigid cup and the edge of said aperture, and, on the other hand, forms aseat with a central portion applied against an annular portion of therigid piece; a valve flap between the two said portions which istraversed by at least one porthole for fluid passage; said piecesresting upon the outer wall of container by peripheral superposedflanges, and wherein the flange of the elastomer piece overlaps theouter wall of the container beyond the periphery of the flange of therigid piece to form around it an annular fluid-tight joint, suitablycentered with respect to a tubular filling mouthpiece adapted to bepressed axially against the container.
 2. In a container as set forth inclaim 1, the rigid piece forming the cup being retained by its nearlycylindrical laterAl wall under the edge of the opening of the containerby an annular shoulder.
 3. In a container as set forth in claim 1, thepiece of elastomer material being in the form of a cup and containing inits lateral nearly cylindrical wall a groove for receiving the edge ofthe container opening, whereby by forcing it into the latter, said piecewill interlock elastically in the opening in the manner of a pressbutton.
 4. In a container as set forth in claim 1, the rigid piececontaining, limited by its annular bottom, a boss oriented upwardly andcapping the valve of the elastomer piece with a lid perforable duringthe first opening operation of the valve, said boss and bottom formingthe valve seat.
 5. In a container as set forth in claim 1, thecylindrical wall of elastomer piece having the form of a cup andcontaining at least one large section aperture for filling purposes,which may be concealed and blocked by setting the rigid piece in place,and having,moreover, a passage which remains clear continuously providedbetween the container and the contact zone of the flap and seat, thesmaller section of said passage being limited to a maximum flow ratesufficient for normal pressurized fluid delivery requirements.
 6. In acontainer as set forth in claim 5, weak bridges or straps being providedas separations between a plurality of filling holes distributed over theperiphery of the elastomer piece throughout its cylindrical wall, whichmay break at the first attempt at refilling a container with a flow rateexceeding that assigned as the limit for discharge.
 7. In a container asset forth in claim 5, said passage remaining continuously clear andbeing formed as a by-pass between the edge of a filling aperture and thebottom of elastomer cup by at least one projection provided on the innerface of said cup by molding.
 8. In a container as set forth in claim 5,said passage remaining continuously clear, and being formed as a by-passbetween the edge of a filling aperture and the bottom of the elastomercup by at least one projection disposed on the outer cylindrical face ofrigid cup.
 9. In a container as set forth in claim 1, wherein at leastone portion of the elastomer cup flange extends peripherally beyond thecorresponding flange of the rigid cup, on the outer face of container,and thickens progressively from the axis of the piece toward theperiphery.
 10. A container for pressurized fluid having an apertureclosed by a valve device mounted thereon and comprising a firstsubstantially cup-shaped member made of a rigid material and a secondmember made of a resilient elastomeric material which has at least oneaperture for fluid passage between a central valve flap and a peripheralsealing portion, said first and second memeber having correspondingflanges, so as to be inserted in the aperture of the container over eachother with their peripheral flanges, in superposed relation, the secondmember having its peripheral portion clamped by said first member aroundthe edge of the aperture of said container to form a packing ring forfluid-tight closure of the container, the valve flap of said secondmember being resiliently urged against an annular central seat portionon the bottom of said first member, wherein the improvement comprises anupwardly directed boss formed in the central part of the bottom of saidfirst member and having a perforatable top sealing lid connected withsaid bottom by a substantially tubular wall joined with said bottom byan intermediate annular surface serving as a seat for the valve devicesaid perforatable top sealing lid in this manner being maintained bysaid tubular i.e., rigid wall in spaced relation to top of the valveflap and to said annular seat surface.